Steam-carriage



J. V, MERRIGK.

STEAM CARRIAGE.

No. 27,920. Patented Apr. 17. 1860,

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

J. VAUGHAN MERRIOK, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

STEAM-CARRIAGE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 27,920, dated April 17, 1860.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, J. VAUGHAN Mnmuon, of the city of Philadelphia andState of Pennsylvania, engineer, have invented certain Improvements inPropelling by Steam Carriages to be Used on Common Roads and Railroads;and I do hereby declare the following to be a full and exact descriptionof the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, in which-Figure 1 is a plan, Fig. 2 a side elevation, and Fig. 3 a frontelevation.

The nature of my invention consists, first, in placing the tubularboiler commonly known as the locomotive boiler, in a trans verseposition upon the carriage carrying the motive power. Second, inaffixing to the shell of the boiler so placed two engines at rightangles with each other, one being vertical, or nearly so, and the otherhorizontal, or nearly so, and beneath the boiler; one pair of cranksserving forboth. Third, in conducting the exhaust steam from the enginesthrough a range of pipes immersed in water or other condensing liquid,when such liquid is cooled by a current of air caused to pass throughpipesor conduits immersed in it. Fourth, in cooling the condensingliquid by the passage of currents of air made to pass through pipes orconduits traversing it, such currents being induced either by the motionof the carriage on the road, or by artificial means. Fifth, in supplyingthe fuel required in the generation of steam, with a portionof the airheated by having traversed the condensing liquid.

In the accompanying drawing, A, Figs. 1 and 2, is the truck or carriagemounted on four wheels, as it would be arranged for city wail-roads; Bis the boiler, suspended to the carriage at as low a point aspracticable without touching the ground; C are the engines, of which Dis the common crank shaft, carrying spur-wheels E, by which it gearsinto other spur wheels F secured to the forward axle of the car. For thepurpose of obtaining the friction required in propulsion, I propose toconnect the axles by rods or cranks in the customary manner.

G, G, are the exhaust pipes of the engines, which enter the condensingtank II, traverse it, and are conducted to a receptacle from which thecondensed water is forced into the boiler by a pump.

I, I, are several air-pipes or conduits, traversing the tank H, andexposing a large amount of surface through which the water or othercondensing liquid contained in said tank, may give off its heat to theair passing through them. These pipes I prefer to have vertical, so asto increase the force of the current through them by the heat absorbedby the air.

L is a damper, or swinging diaphragm, so arranged as to deflect the airmet by the carriage in its movement in either direction, into theair-pipes I, I.

M is a fan rotary blower or screw, drawing its supply of air from abovethe level of the condensing liquid in the tank H, and forcing it underthe furnace by the pipe N. This screw or blower may, however, be placedso as to force the air through the airpipes in the tank and into thefurnace; or it may be placed so as to draw the air through the furnace,but I prefer the described arrangement.

The advantages which will be derived from the foregoing improvementsare, dispensing with the noise and escape of steam which have hithertoprevented the use of steam as a motive power in the streets of towns orcities; effecting an economy in the generation of steam from the use ofvery hot water for feeding the boiler, and of heated air for supplyingthe combustion of the coal, thereby reducing the amount of fuel requiredto be carried in order to traverse a given distance, or increasing thedistance which may he traveled with the same amount of fuel; andfinally, by the simplicity of construction involved in attaching theengines and all their accessories to the boiler, reducing the cost ofthe machinery.

IVhat I claim as my invention is 1. The use of a surface condenserimmersed in water when the water used for such surface condenser iscooled or par tially cooled by the passage of currents of air in themanner set forth.

2. The combination of the boiler and engines with surface condenser andcooling apparatus when arranged, constructed and operating substantiallyas described for the purpose of propelling carriages by steamsubstantially as herein set forth.

J. VAUGHAN MERRICK.

Witnesses:

J. G. MINI CHILD, J. H. B. JENKINS.

